Bottle stoppering machine with vibratory and gravity feed



March 18, 1958 J. c. HENDERSON ETAL 2,326,885

BOTTLE STOPPERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY GRAVITY FEED Filed Aug. 20, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS JACK C. HENDERSON GU/LIO L. PARUD/ fig.2 BY

..|. c. HENDERSON EI'AL 2,826,885

March 18, 1958 BOTTLE STOPI ERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 20.. 1954 INVENTORS. JACK C. HENDERSON GU/LIO L. ARO

fig. 3

March 18, 1958 c. HENDERSON AL 2,326,885

BOTTLE STOPPERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED Filed Aug. 20, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS.

JACK c. HENDERSON GUILIO L. PAROD/ BY fig. /6 WZWA v I A Harm Maw]! 18, 1958 J. c. HENDERSON ETAL 2,826,885

BOTTLE ST QPPERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED Filed Aug. 20, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS.

GU/LIO L. P 0/ fig. //0

fig. /5 A JA-CK c. HENDERSON March 18, 1958 J. c. HENDERSON ETAL 2,

BOTTLE STOPPERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED Filed Aug. 20, 1954 e Sheets-Sheet s IOOV A.C.

fl'g- /3 INVENTORS.

JA'CK c. HENDERSON sumo L. PAROI March 18, 1958 J. c. HENDERSON ErAL 2,826,885

BOTTLE STOPPERING MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED Filed Aug. 20, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 JACK C. HENDERSON GU/L/O L. PARODI BY Z @KEY United States Patent.

BOTTLE STOP-PERENG MACHINE WITH VIBRATORY AND GRAVITY FEED Jack C. Henderson, New York, N. Y., and Guilio L. Parodi, Demarest, N. L, assignors to The Upyo'nn Company, Kalamazoo, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 20,1954, Serial No. 451,123 28 Claims. c1. 53-306 This invention relates to a bottle stoppering machine and particularly to a type thereof adapted for inserting into successively presented bottles stoppers made from resilient materials having co-efficients of friction which vary over a relatively wide range.

Since the first conception of a machine for automatically inserting stoppers into a plurality of successively presented bottles, a large number of devices have been developed in an attempt to meet the demands of efficient production. Where stoppers, or other container closing devices, are made of metal, or are in other ways made so that they have relatively low and uniform co-eilicients of friction, such as by providing a silicone coating on a rubber stopper, previously available bottle stoppering equipment has been reasonably satisfactory. However,

previously known kinds of equipment have had many drawbacks, of which one of the major ones has been their inadaptability to the handling of stoppers having high co-eiiicients of friction, stoppers having varying co-efiicients of friction from one batch to another, and, worse, stoppers having varying co-efiicients of friction within the same batch. This apparently uncontrollable variable has seriously handicapped the utilization of automatic bottle stoppering equipment wherever such stoppers, as uucoated rubber stoppers, have been involved.

Another problem with respect to this type of equipment and which is of particular importance in industries such as those dealing with pharmaceutical products, is the problem of sterilizing the portions of the equipment which do, or may, come into contact with that portion of the stopper which may contact the pharmaceutical product within the bottle. This necessitates making the parts requiring such sterilizing as small as possible, making them free from moving parts or springs, and making them readily removable from the rest of the machine in order etficiently and conveniently to effect such sterilization.

One satisfactory machine which answers many of the present problems is that shown in the application Serial No. 263,439, filed by Leonard T. Cookson and entitled Bottle Stoppering Apparatus, and assigned to the same corporate assignee as the present invention. However, as in any industrial activity, improvements are constantly being made and the present invention represents a great deal of effort expended, since the designing of the machine shown in said application Serial No. 263,439, to eifectuate more completely the general objectives thereof and to widen still further the area of practicable operation.

It is alsodesirable, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, that stoppering equipment be adaptable to handle stoppers having widely differing physical characteristics and under a wide variety of conditions. The stoppers may differ in size and/or shape; they may be made of either natural or synthetic materials, and of many different physical characteristics. Some may be uncoated and others may be coated with varying materials, such as silicone, either to make them slide more readily in the feeding equipment or to prevent the stopper material, as

2,826,885 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 ice rubber, from contaminating the product within the bottle which it is intended to close. 7

In the pharmaceutical industry, particularly, many various types and sizes of bottles and stoppers are used. It is desirable, if not essential, that a satisfactory stoppering machine be easily and quickly adaptable to operate on groups of different sizes of bottles, different shapes of bottles and different kinds, sizes and shapes of stoppers. If automatic equipment is to be utilized efliciently, it'must be sufiiciently versatile to meet all, or at least a very large number, of these conditions with only minor adjustment. The machine must be compact, easily operated by relatively unskilled personnel, easily adaptable to difierent types and sizes of bottles and to various types and sizes of stoppers. It must also be relatively free from maintenance problems and sufliciently simple in construction that its original cost is not unreasonable.

We are aware that many attempts, some very elaborate, have been made in this field to provide equipment of the nature above indicated but insofar as we are aware, these previous attempts, excepting the structure above mentioned with respect to Serial No. 263,439, have not been sufficiently satisfactory to receive any particularly wide commercial acceptance.

Accordingly, a major object of the invention has been to provide a machine for automatically applying stoppers change in the machine itself or in its operating characteristics.

A furtherobject of the invention has been to provide a machine of the type aforesaid which can be quickly and easily converted from use with one batch of bottles and stoppers having one group of physical characteristics to use with another group of bottles and stoppers having materially diiferent physical characteristics.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which the operation will be adequately safe for the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which the feeding of the stoppers will be rapid and sufiiciently positive to assure a continuous supply thereof even at high rates of operating speeds.

A further object of the invention is .to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which the feeding of stoppers will be equally certain and reliable regardless of whether the stoppers have relatively low co-efiicients of friction or have relatively high coefficients of friction and regardless of whether stoppers in the same batch vary in their coefiicients of friction materially with respect to each other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which the parts contacting those portions of the stoppers which might contaminate the contents of the bottles with which they are to be used may be readily removed for sterilization and reinstalled into operating position without major inconvenience or damage to said parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ma chine, as aforesaid, in which the portions of the stoppers entering into the bottles are subjected to a minimum amount of contact with any part of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, which is sufliciently compact as to be conveniently located on a production line in association with other production machinery.

A further object of the invention is-to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which stoppers are taken from an unarranged mass, are arranged in a predetermined position, are fed to a stoppering station and are then 2,s2e,sss I 3 driven into a bottle by means capable of exercising maximum control over the stopper to minimize the occurrence of improperly stoppered bottles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, in which the feeding mechanism utilizes a gravity chute assisted by mechanical vibration whereby the stoppers are provided with a live feed from the beginning of said chute to the point of discharge therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as aforesaid, effecting a maximum amount of gravity feed but utilizing suflicient vibration to assure reliable feed regardless of the physical characteristics of the stoppers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine-as aforesaid, which is of sufficient physical simplicity to involve relatively low initial cost and to re quire relatively little maintenance.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a machine, as aforesaid, which will positively and completely seat highly resilient stoppers, having relativelyhigh coefficients of friction, into the neck of a bottle.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent to persons acquainted with equipment of this general type upon a reading of the following disclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation view taken from the leftward end of the machine, as appearing in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation view taken from the rightward end of the machine, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top view of the hopper of the machine.

Figure 5 is a sectional view substantially as taken on the line VV of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional view substantially. as taken on the line VIVI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragment of Figure 1 showing details of the stoppering mechanism on a larger scale.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line VI lIVllI of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line IX-lX of Figure 6 and rotated 135 degrees counterclockwise.

Figure 10 is a central sectional view of the ram guiding mechanism taken on the line X-X of Figure 7.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragment of Figure 3 showing the ram in the act of forcing a stopper into a bottle.

Figure 11a is similar to Figure 11 and shows a different operating adjustment of the parts.

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical system by which one .preferred embodiment of the ma chine is operated.

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken on the line XIII-XIII of Figure 4 and rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Figure 14 is a sectional view taken on the line XIV-XIV of Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a sectional view taken on the line XVXV of Figure 4.

Figure 16 is a top view of a device for holding the bottle in position for receiving a stopper.

Figure 17 is a fragmentary view of a machine embodying a modified construction.

Figure 18 shows the same parts illustrated in Figure 17 in another operative position thereof.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION In meeting the objects and purposes above set forth, a machine :has been designed incorporating some of the basic theories of operation of the device described in the above mentioned application of Leonard T. Cookson, Serial No. 263,439, but in which refinements have been added and certain reorganization of parts provided to enable the present machine to meet more effectively the objects and purposes herein outlined and to incorporate thereinto the results of experience with said Cookson device in a variety of commercial operations.

In so doing, the hopper has been placed on a pedestal raising it a convenient distance above the working surface, and the conveyor conducting the stoppers from the hopper is now substantially vertical and includes a curved section which brings the stoppers to a position almost under said hopper. A vertically reciprocable ram drives the stoppers downwardly out of the stoppering position in the lower end of the conveyor and into the bottles as before. However, there is now also provided a vibrator operatingdirectly against the lower end of the conveyor to assure further that the feeding of stoppers is active all of the way into said stoppering position. This arrangement minimizes the likelihood of the stoppers becoming obstructed at some point along the conveyor and insures rapid and reliable movement of said stoppers into said stoppering position. Stoppers are fed continuously to the conveyor so that they are always available when and as needed at the stoppering position.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, right, left, front, back and derivatives thereof will have reference to the machine of this in vention as appearing in Figure 1. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said machine or parts thereof.

CONSTRUCTION As disclosed in Figures 1, 3 and 5, four vertical posts 2, 3, 4 and 5 are supported and secured at their lower ends upon the horizontal base 1 and are preferably substantially parallel with each other. The upper ends of the said posts 2, 3 and 5 support a vibratory feeding unit 6, which is comprised of a power member 7 supporting a hopper 8. The power member 7 contains means, such as springs and vibratory means acting thereagainst, as described in Patents Nos. 2,305,943, 2,187,717, 2,464,216 and 2,666,109, for the purpose of applying an angularly effective vibration against said hopper by which said hopper simultaneously reciprocates in a vertical direction and oscillates in a circumferential direction. The parallel arrangement of the posts permits them to absorb most of the horizontal movement of the vibratory unit 6 with respect to the base and thereby prevent the transmission of such vibration to the base. The base is sufficiently anchored or made sufficiently heavy that it will not be disturbed by such vibration as is, in fact, transmitted to it. Thus, the remainder of the machine is insulated from the vibrations created by the member 7 and, excepting for other purposely vibrated parts mentioned below, is steady.

A control unit 9 is also positioned on said base 1, said control unit containing the cams, switches. and other power or power controlling mechanism mentioned hereinafter.

A vertical ram unit 12 (Figure 1) is positioned on the post 4 adjacent to the power member 7 and extends therebelow toward the base 1. A conveyor 11 extends from the hopper 8 to a position adjacent to the lower end of the ram unit 12 and spaced above the base 1. The lower end of said conveyor curves into a position substantially parallel with said base (Figure 9) for reasons appearing hereinafter. The flexible vibratory plate 13 (Figure 5) is fastened at one end, as by the bolt 14, to support post 2 which is spaced substantially from the ram unit 12. Means 71 on the other end of plate 13 is in contact with the lower end of the ram unit 12, hence the lower end 33 (Figure 9) of the conveyor 11 to which said ram unit is connected. A vibrator 16 is mounted upon the plate 13 for effecting vibration thereof, which vibratory motion is then transferred to the lower end 33 of said conveyor 11.

Turning now to the parts in more detail, the structure of the power member 7 may be any of many known types and further description thereof is omitted. As mentioned above, operative forms of said member 7 are fully shown in said United States Patents Nos. 2,305,943, 2,187,717, 2,464,216 and 2,666,109.

The hopper 8 (Figures 4 and 13) is comprised of a substantially cylindrical wall 17 having a spiral ramp 18 secured to the inner surface of said wall 17 and extending from the bottom 20 thereof to a high point 19 near the upper edge of said wall 17. From this point 19, a portion 24 of said ramp 18 slopes downwardly and its radius progressively increases until at the exit point 21 it extends beyond the wall 17 of the hopper 3 (Fig. ures 4 and 13). That portion 22 of the hopper wall 17 adjacent to, and extending upwardly from, said downwardly sloped portion 24 of the ramp 13 follows the curveof the outer edge of said downwardly sloped portion 24. A barrier 23 (Figure 14) extends between, and is secured to, the hopper wall 17 and the ramp wall 22 at the exit point 21. Said barrier is spaced sufficiently above the ramp portion 24 to permit properly oriented stoppers to pass thereunder in a manner hereinafter set forth in more detail.

The conveyor 11 comprises a chute portion and a terminal fixture 34 (Figure 9) at the lower end thereof. The upper end of the chute 10 communicates with the outer end 26 of the ramp portion 24 (Figure 4). Said chute 1!) curves outwardly and downwardly from said ramp portion 24 (Figures 1 and 3) into a mid-section 27, which is substantially vertical, and then curves inwardly to provide a substantially horizontal lower section 33 (Figure 9) connected to the terminal fixture 34 which is positioned adjacent to the lower end of the ram assembly 12. Thus, the ramp portion 24, the chute 10 and fixture 34 combine to define a U-shaped path or track through which the stoppers must pass in moving from the hopper 8 to the fixture 34-. Said chute may be supported in operative position by any convenient means, which are not directly connected to components vibrating due to power member 7, such as the bracket 30 (Figures 1 and 3), which will in turn be mounted upon any non-vibrating structure, such as the pressurecylinder 44 of the ram unit 12.

The conveyor 11 has a lengthwise groove 29 (Figures 3 and 6) on the side thereof which opens upwardly at the upper end, outwardly at the mid-section 27, and downwardly at the lower end. Thus, the stoppers are inverted when they are discharged from the hopper 8 into the upper end of the conveyor, but are in an upright position with their shanks extending downwardly when they reach the terminal fixturei'ad from which they are inserted into bottles. Said groove is partially covered by a pair of co-planar flanges 31 and 32 (Figures 6 and whose opposed edges are parallel and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the stopper shanks to permit them to move easily therebetween, but without material lateral motion. The resulting undercut portions of the groove 29 beneath said supporting flanges 31 and 32 are of sufficient thickness and width to receive the flat, circular flanges of the stoppers in reasonably snug, yet freely slidable relationship.

Flanges 18a and 18b (Figure 4), similar to the flanges 31 and 32, are provided on the ramp portion 24. The groove provided by the flanges 18a and 18b is, therefore, similar in cross-section to the groove 29. Thus, the stoppers can move freely and easily from the ramp portion 245 into the upper end of said conveyor ill without jamming or sticking therebetween. of the chute it) is substantially horizontal, as indicated at 33 (Figure 9) and there communicates with the terminal fixture 34 having a groove 36 in its underside whose cross-sectional dimensions are substantially identical with the corresponding dimensions of said groove 29. The groove 36 is provided with an end wall 37 which acts to limit the movement of said stoppers, as appears further below.

The lower end The ram unit 12 (Figures 1, 7 and 8) includes a fluid 6 pressure operated cylinder 44 and the ram 38 actuated b said cylinder. The ram 38 is connected at its upper end through the bearing mechanism 53 to the rod 54 (Figure 8), said rod having a stop collar 56 on its lower end. The upper end of said rod 54 is threaded into the nut 58 which in turn is threaded onto the lower, extended end of the plunger 59 of the cylinder 44- and is locked in position by the lock nut 61. A ring 62 of rubber or other suitable resilient material is positioned immediately above the lock nut 61 to act as a bumper between the lock nut 61 and the lower end of the sleeve 63. The upper end of the sleeve 63 is provided with a flange 65 to which the pressure cylinder 44 is fastened.

This ram unit 12 is mounted on a horizontal platform 46 (Figures 1, 7 and 8), which in turn is supported on the post 4 located approximatelybetween the posts 3 and 5 (Figure 5.). The platform 46 is provided with a vertical opening 57 through'which' the sleeve 63 extends down to its flange. The lower end of said sleeve 63 is threaded to receive a nut 47 which holds the ram unit securely to said platform 46. A pair of hanger rods 49 and 51 are secured to, and extend downwardly from, the plate 46 to support at their lower ends a fixture plate 52, extending therebetween. Said fixture plate 52 and the ram guide 35 combine to form the terminal fixture 34 as best indicated in Figure 9.

The ram 38 (Figures 8, 9, 10 and ll) extends through a suitable vertically cylindrical opening 55 in said fixture 34, whose center is so located with respect to the wall.

37 (Figure 9) that when a stopper has its flange bearing against said wall said ram 38 will strike the top of said stopper substantially coaxially. Said ram 38 has a guide communicate with a pair of diametrically opposed, spiral slots 42 which extend downwardly and equidistantly toward, but spaced from, the lower end of said ram guide 35. Thus, said slots 41 hold said ram 38 against rotation about its axis during one portion of its descent as indicated further below, and the slots 42 effect controlled rotation of the ram 38 about its axis during the balance of its descent.

The vibratory plate 13 (Figures 5 and 7) extends horizontally from said post 2 to a point adjacent that side of said post 4 nearest said ram unit 12. The contact bar 71 (Figures 5, 6 and 7), which is secured to the outer end of said plate 13, as by bolting, has a downwardly extending portion 74- and a sidew ardly' extending portion 73. The portion 73 preferably lies along the extended axis of the lower horizontal end of the conveyor 11 and the free end of said portion 73 preferably engages the face 72 of the plate 52 on the opposite side of said plate from the chute it In the particular embodiment here shown the downwardly extending portion 74 in said contact member 71 positions the end portion 73 at the desired elevation with respect to the conveyor 11. This portion 74 is provided to the extent, and may be distorted in the direction, needed to accomplish this purpose. An adjustment screw 77 (Figure 7) is threadedly engaged by a bracket 78 mounted upon the post 4. Said screw 77 preferably extends perpendicularly toward the adjacent side of said plate 13 near its outer end. Resilient means, such as the coiled spring 76, is disposed for operation between contact bar 71 and the adiacent end of said screw 77 and is supported upon the latter. Thus, by suitable adjustment of the screw 77, a desired resiliently backed pressure may be exerted against the contact bar 71 and hence onto the end of the bar portion 73 and the face 72 of the conveyor 11.

This mounting of the vibratory plate 13 effects a vigorous vibration of the conveyor 11 with. relativelylittle vibration appearing in the frame of the machine. This is due to the solid mounting upon post 2 of the resilient plate 13 at its extreme end, where relatively little vibratory motion occurs, and the resilient backing of said plate 13 at its free end where the maximum vibration occurs. The inertia of the vibrator 16 is the actual backing, or base, for the vibratory action and this provides for ample vibration being applied to the chute as needed with but relatively little thereof being transmitted to the supporting posts 2 and 4 or to the base 1.

If needed, further damping of the vibration from vibrator 16 and the feeder 6 can be effected by pro wit g a heavy tapered collar 80 (Figure 1) around the lower end of one or more of the posts 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The proper positioning of the bottles beneath the ram unit 12, in what may be termed the stopper-tog station," can be successfully carried out by any of many different forms of bottle positioning devices. Such device may serve the dualpurpose of so positioning the bottle and initiating the actuation of the ram unit 12. One corvenient form of bottle holding and ram actuating device is:indieatcd generallyat 81 (Figures 1, 3, and 16). Said device 81 comprises a platform 82 having a switch housing 83 mounted on the rearward end thereof. A reciprocably mounted arm 84 extends forwardly from the switch housing 83 and supports the guide member 86. Said guide member 86 has an upper guide 37 (Figure 3) for engaging the neck of the bottle and a lower guide 88 for engaging the body of the bottle. The platform @2 is preferably supported near its forward end on a screw 89 and said screw 89 (Figure 3) is secured in a vertically adjustable position by the adjustment nut 91 upon the machine base 1.

Control circuit Various circuits may be provided for operating and controlling the above described machine. One satisfactory circuit is that shown in Figure 12. A suitable source of energy 96, here indicated as 110 volt A. C., energizes the power member 7 of the feeder unit 6 subject to the control of a suitable switch 9'7. The vibrator unit 16 may also be energized, through a separate control switch 93, from the source 96. A motor till, which is mechanically connected to the cams 102 and. l 3 may be energized from source 36 through the switch 90. These cams are located in the control unit 9 and alter nately open and close the microswitches 104 and respectively. The source 96 energizes the primary wind ing of the transformer 107 which in turn energizes the solenoid circuit 103. The solenoid circuit Hi8 compri ram driving andrarn retracting circuits. The ram d1. ing circuit includes the microswitch 164, the secondary winding 109, the manually operable switch 111, the winding 112 of a valve solenoid lit} and a microswitch 855 in the switch housing 83. The ram retracting circuit includes the microswitch 105, the secondary winding 169, the switch 111 and the winding 113 of the solenoid 11).

Thus, if the manual switch 111 is closed and a bottle B is urged against the guide member 86 (Figure l2), thereby closing the microswitch 85, the closing of the switch 104 by the cam 1(l2 will energize the winding 112 of the solenoid valve 110. This will permit pressure fluid, as air, to flow from any suitable source 114 throu h the solenoid valve 110 into the cylinder 4% which d o; the ram 38 in a downward direction. Immediately there after, and regardless of whether the switch 85 remains closed, closure of the switch 136 by the cam ill and simultaneous opening of the switch 1"4 will deenergize the winding 112 and energize the winding 13 of the solenoid valve 110. This reverses the application of pressure fluid in the pressure cylinder 4-, and lifts the ram 38 into its raised position.

Thus, the movement of the cams 102 and W3 will effect the automatic actuation of the ram 38, but the microswitch 85 insures that the ram will not descend until and unless there is a bottle in the stoppering sta- Although the operation of the machine has been rather fully indicated above, further explanation thereof will be offered in the interest of completeness.

A quantity of stoppers is placed within the hopper 3 and operation of the machine is commenced by closing the switch 97. This causes a vibratory oscillation of the bowl E3 and the stoppers are thereby moved up the ramp iii; in a manner already well known with respect to this type of vibratory feeding unit 6. As said stoppers reach the high point 19 (Figure 4) of said ramp, most of those left on the ramp are properly oriented in an inverted position with their shanks extending upwardly. ln this position those which are properly oriented enter into and pass through the ramp portion 24 between the flanges 15a and 16b. Said stoppers then enter the upper end of the flanged conveyor 11 and move by gravity downwardly to the stoppering fixture 3d. The vibrator it? will normally be energized simultaneously with the unit 6 for applying vibration to the lower end of the conveyor ll. as above noted. However, in some cases where stoppers having a relatively low coefficient of friction are to be handled, such as rubber stoppers having a silicone coating, then the vibration originating in the vibrator 16 may be unnecessary.

The bottle supporting platform 82 is vertically adjusted so that the bottle B, when placed in the stoppcring station thereon, will clear the lower end, or shank, of a stopper disposed in the terminal fixture 34. The spacing between said bottle top and the lower surface of the terminal fixture 34 is enough that the ram 38 can drive the stoppers down sufficiently, before being stopped by the upper end of the bottle, that the stopper flanges will pass the flanges 31 and 32 of the groove 29 and thereby effect the releasing of said respective stoppers. Similarly, the length of the stopper shanks and said spacing are so related that the stopper shanks will enter the bottle before, or at least not materially after, their flanges leave the guiding influence of the supporting flanges 31 and 32. It has been found through a great deal of expcrimentation, that the normal desirable lengths of stopper shanks together with the normal desirable widths and thicknesses of stopper flanges are within the operating capability of this machine and, actually, that a wide range of flexibility in handling stoppers of different sizes and shapes is possible.

When the above preparations are completed, the switches 111 and 99, which may be connected mechanically and thereby operable from a single manual control, are then closed and the machine is ready to function. A bottle is placed, manually or automatically, in stoppering position upon the platform 82 and pushed against the respective upper and lower members 37 and 33 of the guide member 86. This closes the switch and as soon thereafter as the cam 302: closes the switch 104 (Figure 12) the ram driving circuit is completed and the pressure cylinder al will be energized and the ram 38 driven downwardly. Said ram engages the top of the stopper which is held in coaxial alignment therewith at the lowest end of the conveyor 1.1 and against the wall 37 by the pressure of stoppers thereabove in said conveyor ll. Said stopper is then moved toward the bottle B by the ram 38. When the stopper flange is released from the conveyor flanges 31 and 32, so that it is no longer. guided by them, the stopper shank is either within the neck of the bottle B and is supported by it, or it is sulliciently close thereto that its inertia prevents displacement from its properly aligned position, so that the ram can accurately drive it into its fully seated position.

The pin 39 of the ram 33 normally rides within the slot 41, the position being substantially that shown in Figure 8 or 9. The retracted position shown in Figure 10 is solely for purposes of clearer illustration and is not a normal operating position. Thus, during the first part of the rams descent, the stopper is pushed straight into the bottle and the ram is held against rotation. However, immediately after release of the stopper from efiective support by the-flanges 31 and 32, and preferably immediately after release of the stopper from any contact with said flanges, the pin 39 will enter and follow the spiral groove 42 and will effect a'partial rotation of the ram. This applies a twisting motion to the stopper and materially assists its entering tightly into the bottle.

As soonas the stopper is seated, the continuing movement of the cams 102 and 103 will reverse the pressure fluid in the cylinder 44 and retract the ram 33 upwardly. The bottle B will then be removed, another bottle put into its place and the cycle will repeat.

It will be apparent that stoppering operations can be carried out at a high rate of speed and that the apparatus may be readily modified to fit bottles of different sizes and shapes and to handle stoppers of diflerent sizes and characteristics. The guides 18a and 18b, the chute portion 10 of the conveyor 11 and the terminal fixture 34 may be easily removed and replaced to accommodate stoppers of different sizes and shapes within wide ranges of variations.

The conveyor 11, including the terminal fixture'34, and the bowl 8 can both be quickly and easily removed from the stoppering machine for the purpose of sterilization where the machine is used in the pharmaceutical industry, for reasons which are well understood in that industry.

Certain of the objects of the invention are most completely obtained by positioning the posts 2, 3, 4 and parallel with respect to each other, as illustrated, in order that the horizontal component of movement of the feeding unit 6 may be dissipated with respect to the base 1 without corresponding movement of the base 1. However, it will be recognized that many of the objectives can still be obtained by placing said posts in other relative positions if such positioning should be desired for other reasons.

While the foregoing description, and figures referred to therein, illustrate an embodiment of the machine which will fit a wide variety of circumstances, there are some situations involving particularly sticky stoppers where the above described machine is preferably and readily modified to obtain the degree of reliability desired. This modification (Figures 17 and 18) permits the platform 82 to move downwardly in response to presssure imposed on the bottle through the stopper by the ram 38.

.Thus, the ram is given a longerstroke which permits it to twist through a larger arc of rotation and thereby overcome the friction restraining the stopper from being fully inserted into the bottle due to its stickiness. In this embodiment, the platform 82 is supported substan tially above the screw 89 by a spring 120. The cap 121 fits over the spring and is aflixed, as by welding, to the underside of the platform 82. A rod 122 may be provided within an opening 123 concentric with the axis of the screw 89 for providing support and vertical guidance of said platform with respect to the base 1. The keyway 124 in the rod 122 and the threaded pin 125 in screw 39 cooperate to prevent rotation of the platform 82 with respect to the base 1.

With this arrangement, the platform 82 is normally held in the same position with respect to the ram 38 and chute lt'i'l as in the embodiment described and illustrated in connection with Figures 1 to 16,, inclusive. However, as the ram 33 drives the stopper into the a 10 bottle, and thereby presses the bottle downwardly against the platform 82, the spring will yield and permit the bottle to move downwardly until the spring 120 is compressed against the solid abutment provided by the screw 89. This gives the ram a longer travel without increasing the distance that must be maintained between the flanges 3 1 and 312 and the top of the bottle prior to the insertion of the stopper within the bottle. Thus, more rotation of the ram is permitted to occur, thereby insuring a better seating of the stopper in the bottle before downward motion of the ram is stopped. The position of the parts near the end of an insertion stroke of the ram is shown in Figure 18.

While particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed for illustrative purposes, it will be appreciated that many Variations from thisspecific structure may be made within the scope of the invention and, accordingly, the claims hereinafter appended are to be construed as including such variations excepting as said claims may by their own terms expressly require otherwise.

We claim:

1. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of upstanding posts mounted upon said base near to said station; a vibratory feeding device on said posts for orienting said stoppers into a preselected attitude; a vertical ram and means supporting same above said station for reciprocable movement toward and away from said station; a conveyor communicating with, and extending downwardly from, said feeding device to a position under the lower end of said ram and above said station, the lower end of said conveyor having means for guiding said ram therethrough; a lengthwise groove and guide flanges on said conveyor for receiving said stoppers in said attitude and slidably retaining said stoppers in predetermined relationship with respect thereto, said flanges continuing substantially unchanged with respect to each other from one end of said conveyor to the other thereof, the lower portion of said conveyor being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the axis of said ram.

2. The structure of claim 1 including also a flexible member affixed at one end thereof to one of said posts which is spaced. substantially from the lower end of said conveyor, said member extending to a point adjacent the lower end of said conveyor and means on the free end of said member contacting the lower end of said conveyor; and a vibrator operatively associated with said member at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

3. The device defined in claim 1 including means effecting partial rotation of said ram during at least a portion of that part of its descent during which it is contacting a stopper.

4. A device defined in claim 3 including a vertically I resilient support normally holding a bottle in stopper receiving position.

5. The device defined in claim 1 including means operative to rotate said ram as soon as, but not before, a stopper ceases to be materially guided by the stopper guiding flanges.

6. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of upstanding posts mounted upon said base; a Vibratory feeding device supported above said base on said posts; a ram mechanism supported adjacent said feeding device and above said station for movement toward and away from said station; a conveyor communicating with, and extending first outwardly and downwardly from said feeding device and then downwardly and inwardly to a point under the free end of said ram, the lower end of said conveyor having means for guiding said ram therethrough; a lengthwise groove and guide 11 flanges on said conveyor for slidably retaining stoppers in predetermined relationship thereto, said flanges continuing substantially unchanged with respect to each other from said feeder to a point substantially between said ram and said stoppering station; the portion of said coni veyor adjacent said ram being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the axis of said ram.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said feeding device includes a bowl with an internal, stopper carrying, ramp, said ramp extending from a point of beginning upwardly around the wall of said bowl to a high point and thence extending from said high point further around said wall and downwardly to a point of exit from said bowl, said ramp thence communicating with said conveyor.

8. The structure of claim 6 wherein said ram mecln nism is mounted on one of said posts.

9. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of posts extending upwardly from said base and a vibratory hopper type feeder spaced above said base and supported on said posts; a pressure fluid cylinder and means supporting said cylinder substantially adjacent said feeder and above said station and with its axis arranged perpendicularly to said base; a vertical ram positioned directly below, and operated by, said cylinder; a conveyor communicating with, and. extending downwardly from said vibratory feeder to a position under said ram, the lower end of said conveyor being arranged substantially parallel with said base; a lengthwise groove and cooperating stopper guiding flanges extending without substantial variation with respect to each other throughout the full length of said conveyor to the lower end thereof under said ram; means providing a vertical ram being slidably received therethrough to disengage a stopper from the stopper guiding flanges directly under said ram and drive said stopper into a bottle at said station; a flexible plate affixed to one of said posts and having contact means at its free end bearing against the lower end of said conveyor; a vibrator affixed to said flexible plate for applying vibratory motion thereto, which vibratory motion is transmitted by said contact means to the lower end of said conveyor, said one post being sufficiently massive as to absorb the vibration applied to it from said flexible plate and not transmit a material portion of it to the base and to the feeding device.

10. The structure of claim 9, including means for effecting rotation of said ram during at least a portion of that part of its descent during which it is contacting a. stopper.

11. The structure of claim 9 in which the contact means is an elongated bar supported on said flexible plate and extends toward, and into contact with, the lower end of said conveyor; and a resilient means secured between said flexible plate and said means supporting said cylinder constantly urging said bar against said conveyor.

12. The structure of claim 9 in which the contact means is an elongated bar supported on said flexible plate and extends toward, and into contact with, the lower end of said conveyor, the direction of vibratory reciprocation of said flexible plate being substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the lower, substantially horizontal portion of said conveyor; and a resilient means secured between said flexible plate and said means supporting said cylinder constantly urging said bar against said conveyor.

13. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of parallel posts upstanding from said base on the same side of said station; a vibratory feeding device, the vibration thereof having a horizontal component, supported above said base on said posts, the length of said posts and the weight of said base being such that no appreciable amount of such vibration is transmitted through said base to other parts of the machine; a ram and means supporting same adjacent one of said posts for movement toward and away from said station; a conveyor communicating with, and extending downwardly from, said feeding device to a position under the free end of said ram, the lower end of said conveyor having means for guiding said ram therethrough; lengthwise guide flanges on said conveyor for supporting stoppers in predetermined relationship thereto, said flanges continuing substantially unchanged with respect to each other from said feeding device to a position substantially between said ram and said station, the lower ends of said flanges being arranged substantially perpendicularly to the axis of said ram.

14. The structure of claim 13 wherein said feeding device includes a bowl with an internal, stopper carrying, ramp, said ramp extending from a point of beginning upwardly around the wall of said bowl to a high point and thence extending from said high point further around said wall and downwardly to a point of exit from said bowl, said ramp thence communicating with said conveyor.

15. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles, the combination comprising: a base; a plurality of posts upstanding from said base; a bracket extending sidewardly from one of said posts and spaced from said base; stopper supplying means supported on the remainder of said posts; a terminal fixture below said bracket and spaced from said base a distance greater than the height of the bottles with which the apparatus is to be used; a substantially vertical ram opening extending vertically through said terminal fixture; a feeder groove extending from a side of said fixture along the underside thereof opening through said lower end of said conveyor, said to a point where it intersects said ram opening, said groove having a pair of lips extending towards each other from the lower extremity thereof; means conducting stoppers from said stopper supplying means to said groove; a vertically reciprocable ram extendable through said ram opening and means supported on said bracket for activating said ram.

16. The structure of claim 15, including means for effecting rotation of said ram during at least a portion of that part of its descent during which it is contacting a stopper.

17. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles, the combination comprising: a base; a post upstanding from said base; a bracket extending sidewardly from said post and spaced from said base; a terminal fixture below said bracket and spaced from said base a distance greater than the height of the bottles with which the apparatus is to be used; a substantially vertical ram opening extending vertically through said terminal fixture; a feeding groove extending from a side of said fixture along the underside thereof to a point where it intersects said ram opening, said groove having a pair of lips extending towards each other from the lower extremity thereof; a vertically reciprocable ram extendable through said ram opening and means supported on said bracket for activating said ram; and vibrator means between said post and the adjacent edge of said terminal fixture for intermittent engagement of said fixture.

18. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles, the combination comprising: a base; a plurality of posts upstanding from said base; a bracket extending sidewardly from one of said posts and spaced from said base; stopper supplying means supported on the remainder of said posts; a terminal fixture below said bracket and spaced from said base a distance greater than the height of the bottles with which the apparatus is to be used; a substantially vertical ram opening extending through said terminal fixture; a feeding groove extending from a side of said fixture along the underside thereof to a point where it intersects said ram opening, said groove having a pair of lips extending towards each other from the lower aseas'ss extremity thereof; a vertically reciprocable ram extendable through said ram opening and means supported on said bracket for activating said ram; 21 substantially ver tical chute positioned adjacent said platform and curving at its lewer. end toward said terminal fixture, said chute connecting said stepper supplying means with said terminal fixture and being in communication with said groove; and a stopper guiding means in said chute including a slot substantially identical in cross-section with the groove in the underside of said terminal fixture, the adjacent surfaces of said groove and of said slot being flush with respect to each other.

19. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a station point, the combination comprising: a substantially horizontal base; a pair of spaced posts upstanding from said base; a horizontally positioned platform extending laterally from one of said posts and spaced from said base; a terminal fixture below said platform and spaced from said base a distance greater 7 than the height of the bottles with which the apparatus is to be used; a substantially vertical ram opening extending vertically through said terminal fixture; a feeding groove extending from a side of said fixture along the underside thereof to a point where it intersects said ram opening, said groove having a pair of lips extending towards each other from the lower extremity thereof; a vertically reciprocable ram extendablethrough said ram opening and means supported on said platform for activating said ram; a flexible elongated member mounted at one end thereof on the other of said posts, the other end of said member extending between said one of said posts and said terminal fixture, said mounting permitting movement of said other end of said flexible member alternately toward and away from said terminal fixture; means on said other end of said flexible member contacting an adjacent side of said terminal fixture; resilient means mounted on said one of said posts bearing against said flexible member for constantly urging same against said terminal fixture and a vibrator mounted on said flexible member intermediate said posts for effecting vibratory motion of said other end in a direction toward and away from said terminal fixture.

20. A machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a station, the combination comprising: a base; a ram vertically reciprocably supported on said base; means preventing rotation of said ram about its axis with respect to said base during the upper portion of its stroke and effecting said rotation during the lower portion of said stroke; a conveyor mounted on said base for presenting stoppers to a position above said station for engagement by said ram; a platform for holding a bottle at said station and spaced from said position a distance substantially equal to said upper portion of said stroke; and resilient means on said base resistively permitting downward movement of said platform.

21. A machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a station point, including in combination: a vertically reciprocable ram; means positively preventing rotation of said ram about its axis during the upper portion of its stroke and effecting such rotation during the lower portion of said stroke; a conveyor for supplying stoppers to a point under said ram, said conveyor including an opening coaxial with said ram for permitting the passage of said ram therethrough and said conveyor also having a lengthwise groove on its underside and guide flanges extending toward each other and spaced from the inner wall of said groove; a platform positioned for holding a bottle at said station point and means providing a vertically-movable resilient support for said platform, said platform being normally spaced 14 v a from said flanges by such a distance that a stopper supported on said flanges will, when moved laterally along said chute, clear a bottle supported on said platform,

said stopper being free of said flanges when said ram is in said lower portion of said stroke, whereby the bottle will receive said stopper immediately after it is pushed by the ram past said flanges, and the platform will then yield to permit the ram to travel through the rotative portion of its path and twist the stopper into'a solid seat within the bottle.

22. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of upstanding posts mounted upon said base; a vibratory feeding device supported above said base on said posts for orienting said stoppers into a preselected attitude; a ram mechanism supported adjacent said feeding device and above said station for movement toward and away from said station; a conveyor communicating with, and extending first outwardly and downwardly from said feeding device and then downwardly and inwardly to a point under the free end of said ram, the lower end of said conveyor having means for guiding said ram therethrough; guide means on said conveyor for receiving said stoppers in said attitude and slidably retaining said stoppers in predetermined relationship with respect to said conveyor throughout its length, the lower portion of said conveyor being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said ram. V

23. The structure of claim 22 wherein said feeding device includes a bowl having a spiral ramp which communicates with said conveyor at the upper end thereof.

24. The structure of claim 22 wherein said feeding device includes a bowl with an internal, stopper carry ing, ramp, said ramp extending from a point of beginning upwardly around the wall of said bowl to a high point and thence extending from said high point further around said wall and downwardly to a point of exit from said bowl, said ramp thence communicating with said conveyor.

25. The structure of claim 22, including pins extending laterally from said ram; a tubular element axially slidably sleeved upon said rod, said tubular element having elongated slots therein disposed at an acute angle to the axis of said ram, said pins being received in said slots, whereby relative rotation of said ram and said tubular element may occur upon axial movement of said ram with respect to said tubular element.

26. In a machine for applying stoppers to bottles supplied successively to a stoppering station, the combination comprising: a base fixed with respect to said station; a plurality of upstanding posts mounted upon said base; a vibratory feeding device supported above said base on said posts for orienting said stoppers into a preselected attitude; a ram mechanism supported adjacent said feeding device and above said station for movement toward and away from said station; a track communicating with, and extending first outwardly and downwardly from said feeding device and then downwardly and inwardly toa point generally under the lower end of said ram and above said station, the lower end of said track having an opening into which said ram is receivable; guide means on said track for slidably retaining stoppers in predetermined relationship with respect thereto throughout its length, the upper and lower end portions of said track being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said ram.

27. The structure of claim 26 wherein said track is divided, near the upper end thereof, into two, spaced sections, such spacing being large enough to prevent the transmission of vibrations from the upper section to the lower section and small enough to be free from interference with the movementof stoppers therebetween.

28. The structure of claim 27 wherein an independent vibratory means is mounted upon one of said posts and engageable with the lower section for effecting independ ent vibration thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS COX, Jr Nov. 6, 1956 

